Scripture 1 John 1:1-4
That which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at
and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2
The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you
the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and
heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with
the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
The Angels of Christmas
Luke 2:8-15 The MESSAGEThere were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger." At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him. As the angel choir withdrew into heaven
Luke 1:8-20 Zechariah’s Angel
It so happened that as Zachariah was
carrying out his priestly duties before God, it came his one turn in life to
enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense. Unannounced, an angel of God
appeared just to the right of the altar of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed in
fear. But the angel reassured him, "Don't
fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a
son by you. You are to name him John. You're going to leap like a gazelle for
joy, and not only you — many will delight in his birth. He'll achieve great
stature with God. He'll drink neither wine nor beer. He'll be filled with the
Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb. He will turn many sons
and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God's arrival in the
style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and
kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics — he'll get the people
ready for God." Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my
wife is an old woman." But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to
bring you this glad news. But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to
say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you
will come true on time — God's time."
In the sixth month of Elizabeth's
pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a
virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was
Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty,
Beautiful inside and out! God be with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was
behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for
you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.
He will be great, be called 'Son of the Highest. 'The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob's house forever — no end,
ever, to his kingdom." Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man." The
angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to
birth will be called Holy, Son of God. "And did you know that your cousin
Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here
she is six months' pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God."
And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the
Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the
angel left her.
Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph’s Angel
Joseph, engaged to Mary, discovered
was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph,
chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would
not be disgraced. While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream.
God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son
of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived.
God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and
when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus — 'God saves' — because he will
save his people from their sins." Joseph woke up and did exactly
what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary and named the baby
Jesus.
Angelic warning to the Wise Men and
Joseph about Herod
Matthew 2:11-12
Overcome, the scholars from the East
knelt and worshiped the infant king. Then they opened their luggage and
presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh. In a
dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out
another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own
country.
Matthew 2:13-15
After the scholars were gone, God's
angel showed up again in Joseph's dream and commanded, "Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt.
Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to
kill him." Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother
under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by
daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod's death.
Matthew 2:19-22
Later, when Herod died, God's angel
appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt: "Up,
take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the
child are dead." Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his
mother, and reentered Israel.
Here the rest of 1 John
1 -
1 John 1:5-10
This is the message we have heard
from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at
all. If we claim to have fellowship with
him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
purifies us from all sin. If we claim to
be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him
out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 1 John 1:1-2 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard,
which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have
touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we
have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which
was with the Father and has appeared to us.
DON’T MISS THIS: JESUS WAS BORN, SO THAT WE COULD BE RE-BORN
John 3:3-21
Jesus told Nicodemus, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God
unless he is born again." "How can
a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. Jesus answered,
"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the
kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit
gives birth to spirit. "How can this
be?" Nicodemus asked. Jesus
answered “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the
desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him
may have eternal life. "For God so
loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life. This is the verdict: Light has come
into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds
were evil. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may
be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas
By Tony Cooke and David Beebe
‘Twas the fight before Christmas,
And all through the house,
Not a creature was peaceful,
Not even my spouse.
The bills were strung out on our table with dread,
In hopes that our checkbook would not be in the red.
The children were fussing and throwing a fit,
When Billy came screaming and cried, "I’ve been bit."
And Momma with her skillet, and I with the remote,
She said, "You change one more channel and I’ll grab your throat."
When on the TV there arose such a clatter,
I sat up on the couch to see what was the matter.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
The cable was out, it was my worst fear.
"The Cowboys, the Celtics, the Raiders, the Knicks,
Without the sports channel I’d soon need a fix!"
And then in the midst of my grievous sorrow,
I remembered the times I had promised, "tomorrow…"
"Not now, my children, but at some soon time,
Dad will play with you, and things will be fine."
Now under conviction, I looked at my wife,
Where was my kindness? Why all the strife?
My heart quickly softened; I now saw my task,
Some love and attention was all they had asked.
I gathered my family and called them by name,
And told them with God’s help I’d not be the same.
We’ll keep Christ in Christmas and honor His plan.
No more fights before Christmas – on that we will stand.
My children’s eyes twinkled; they squealed with delight.
My wife gladly nodded; she knew I was right.
It was the fight before Christmas, but God’s love had come through,
And just like He does, He made all things new.
By Tony Cooke and David Beebe
‘Twas the fight before Christmas,
And all through the house,
Not a creature was peaceful,
Not even my spouse.
The bills were strung out on our table with dread,
In hopes that our checkbook would not be in the red.
The children were fussing and throwing a fit,
When Billy came screaming and cried, "I’ve been bit."
And Momma with her skillet, and I with the remote,
She said, "You change one more channel and I’ll grab your throat."
When on the TV there arose such a clatter,
I sat up on the couch to see what was the matter.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
The cable was out, it was my worst fear.
"The Cowboys, the Celtics, the Raiders, the Knicks,
Without the sports channel I’d soon need a fix!"
And then in the midst of my grievous sorrow,
I remembered the times I had promised, "tomorrow…"
"Not now, my children, but at some soon time,
Dad will play with you, and things will be fine."
Now under conviction, I looked at my wife,
Where was my kindness? Why all the strife?
My heart quickly softened; I now saw my task,
Some love and attention was all they had asked.
I gathered my family and called them by name,
And told them with God’s help I’d not be the same.
We’ll keep Christ in Christmas and honor His plan.
No more fights before Christmas – on that we will stand.
My children’s eyes twinkled; they squealed with delight.
My wife gladly nodded; she knew I was right.
It was the fight before Christmas, but God’s love had come through,
And just like He does, He made all things new.
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